. . .friends. . . and love. . .

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do you ever wonder what it is all about?

what life is all about?

do you ever wonder?

sometimes i wonder. . . .

sometimes i get lost in the craziness of life and i lose sight of what matters . . . what life is about . . .

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i remember when i found out i was pregnant with isaiah – i was eighteen years old.  it was the night of my high school graduation.  i was in a Denny’s bathroom.  not an ideal situation to say the least.

i didn’t have a clue.

the only person that existed in my mind was me . . . well, me and stefan.  but really, i think, if i am truly honest . . . life was just about me.

i think that there are times when i still have a tendency to live life like that . . . but when i held my sweet baby in my arms for the fist time, God spoke to me that, in fact, i was not alone . . . that life wasn’t just about me.

this was the beginning of a journey.

a journey of life in which God would continue to remind me that there was more to life than just living . . . that there was more to life than just me.

it wasn’t too much later when i was introduced to a way of life that was lived with others.

a way of life that was lived in community.

there was once a man – a long time ago – that lived His life for others . . He came to teach that there was more to life than just ourselves.

He came to teach us about community. . . about friendship . . . about love. . . about life and how to live it to its fullest.

this journey that i started on, i didn’t walk through alone.  that was the great thing i was learning.  i met other people who wanted to live life like this too.  they wanted to live life together – learning to love one another . . .through anything.

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This past weekend, I was so blessed to be able to spend some time with some of these dear friends from so long ago.  We are all in different states, stages of life, jobs, etc.  We are all walking different paths now, but one thing hasn’t changed.  Our commitment to living life in community.  Something happened to us a long time ago.  Our hearts were knit together in a way that can never be separated.  We talked and laughed . . . it was as if a day hadn’t passed.  We were bound together by Love . . .

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Out of this group . . . two young women whom I love dearly have decided to spend the rest of their lives in this Love with their spouse.  You may remember Aaron and Jennifer.  This weekend they were married, and what a celebration it was!  With old and new friends, we were so honored to be a part of this amazing day.  We will share more pictures from their wedding in the upcoming days.  Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Brown!

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Another dear friend of mine is also excitedly planning for her upcoming wedding, and I have the great privilege to help share their love story as well.  Emily was a bridesmaid in Jennifer’s wedding, and because it was Halloween weekend, the rehearsal was a costume party as well.  Meet Doug (aka Sherlock Holmes) and Emily (aka Corpse Bridesmaid).

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Always when you are meeting a friends “significant other” for the first time, you are a bit curious . . . curious of this new person, of how they could possibly love and take care of this friend of yours . . .

This is of course how I was when I first met Doug.

Emily had spoke such amazing things about his boy she had met, and I was so curious and excited to meet him as well.

When I first met Doug, it was as if like meeting an old friend.  Stefan and I sat across the table from he and Emily, and the thing that stood out to me the most was how comfortable they were with one another.  Less than a year has gone by since our first introduction and now they are planning a wedding!  It is really amazing.

When you are finished, be sure to check out a slideshow of all their engagement pictures!

Congratulations to my friends Doug and Emily . . . to be wed in 2012!

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